Friends of the Earth Scotland today welcomed the new figures from the UK Department of Energy and Climate Change which show that Scotland’s renewables’ industry produced almost 39% of the electricity used in Scotland in 2012, with 7% more renewable electricity produce than in 2011.

Dr Richard Dixon, Director of Friends of the Earth Scotland said:

"These figures show the great strides that are being made in exploiting Scotland’s huge renewable energy potential. With a major increase on the previous year, it is clear that our 100% target for 2020 is well within reach. The renewable energy industry is creating jobs and reducing Scotland’s climate change emissions, and will be bigger for Scotland’s economy than North Sea oil if we just keep on supporting it.”

ENDS

Notes to Editors

1. Scottish Government release: Record year for Scottish renewables

Renewables generate enough power for every Scottish home

Energy Minister Fergus Ewing has welcomed new figures showing 2012 was a record year for renewables generation in Scotland and demonstrate Scotland’s continuing progress towards its renewable electricity targets.

Statistics published today show that the amount of renewable electricity generated in 2012 rose almost seven per cent on 2011 to more than 14,600 Gigawatt hours. Total renewable generation in Scotland is enough to power the equivalent of every home in Scotland.

Assuming that electricity demand last year is similar to 2011, this will mean that the equivalent of almost 39 per cent of Scotland’s total electricity needs came from renewables in 2012. This maintains progress towards the Scottish

Government’s targets of 50 per cent by 2015 and 100 per cent by 2020.

Statistics published today also show that:

· Wind generation in 2012 was at a record high level – 8,296 GWh, up 19 per cent on 2011 (previous record year for wind) and is more than four Arial the level of wind generation in 2006.

· Scottish renewable generation made up approximately 35 per cent of total UK renewable generation in 2012.

· At the end of 2012, there was 5,883 MW of installed renewable electricity capacity in Scotland, an increase of 22 per cent (1,041 MW) from the end of 2011.

Energy Minister Fergus Ewing said:

“2012 was another record year for renewables in Scotland. Scotland also contributed more than a third of the entire UK’s renewables output, demonstrating just how important a role our renewable resource is playing in terms of helping the UK meet its binding EU renewable energy targets.

“We remain firmly on course to generate the equivalent of 100 per cent of Scotland’s electricity needs from renewables by 2020 – with renewables generating more than enough electricity to supply every Scottish home.”

Background

The Scottish Government’s target is to meet the equivalent of 100 per cent of gross annual electricity demand from renewables by 2020.

In July 2012, DECC published figures on renewables investment & jobs across the UK showing £2.3 billion of renewables projects announced in Scotland between April 2011 & July 2012, with an associated 4,600 jobs. These figures also show that Scotland’s renewables sector has a higher level of projected investment (£9.4 billion) and jobs pipeline (3313) than any other part of the UK.

Meanwhile, industry figures published last year estimate that renewable energy supports over 11,000 jobs in Scotland.

Average domestic electricity consumption in Scotland (2010) was 4,824 kWh. Having accounted for losses in transmission and distribution, renewable output in Scotland would power the equivalent 2.67 million households for a year compared with an estimated 2.37 million households.

Analysis published yesterday showed that the net effect of the UK’s renewable energy and other climate change policies would be to leave households paying £166 less for their gas and electricity by 2020 than they would if there were no such policies.